Holly's Rescue is the fourteenth episode of Season 1 of the Monster Rancher anime series. It aired in Japan on July 17, 1999.
Synopsis
Moo tells Holly that her father unlocked his Mystery Disc, and Moo possessed him. Genki and the others reach Moo's castle with the help of Vulcan and the Pirate Dragons, and fight Moo. Pixie attacks Moo during the battle, and they escape Moo's castle with Holly. However, Moo has been pointed in the direction of his original body by the Magic Stone.
Full Recap
Inside Moo's castle, Holly is telling Moo that she won't accept that he's her father. Moo tells Holly what he did after he left Holly's village. He set off to find the Phoenix, without the help of the Magic Stone. As Moo explains, he sought revenge for the humiliation of being driven away from his village of birth, we see Holly's father (in a flashback) come to a temple and fall through the floor. Holly's father starts exploring and find what looks like the top of Moo's castle. He entered the castle; the walls are lined with Mystery Discs. He enters a center room, where we see what seems to be Moo's mind from "Monol's Story". Moo's mind transforms into a red Mystery Disc, and Holly's father grabs it. The disc transforms again into a red face. It transforms Holly's father into Moo. (Viewers don't see this, just a shadow along a wall as it happens.) As the Moo in the flashback puts his hand over a control panel, activating the castle, present-time Moo's narration re-begins. He explains that he had unlocked Moo and his powers, and that Holly's father and Moo became one. The flashback scene now shows Moo castle bursting from the ground, and then shows Moo using his power to release the monsters in the mystery disk lining the walls. Moo is soon surrounded by an array of Jells, Clays, Evil Hares, etc. The flashback ends, Moo saying, "and the rest as they say, is history," Holly says she still believes her father was a good man, and that she wants Moo to give him back. Moo says he is Holly's father, and Holly should be glad because he has everything he wants. Moo goes on to say that why he was banished from the village was not because he lost the election, but because the others feared his power.
The dragons are getting closer to the castle. Suezo zooms in and sees it straight ahead. The dragons use the cloud cover to hide their approach to the castle. Falcon explains to Genki that they'll have to get in and out without being seen, and that they'll be waiting above the cloud cover. The dragons then dive toward the castle. Our heroes leap down to the castle. Golem forces open the door, letting them inside what appears to be a "Iron Bird" hangar. Realizing they have no way of knowing where Holly is, Suezo comes up with an idea. He pulls Holly's scarf from the sack around his neck and presents it to Tiger. Tiger sniffs the scarf and quickly get a scent. They make their way through the castle until two weeds spot them and ask for a secret password, Tiger runs right through them. The Weeds start shouting "aliens". A number of Moo's forces come after them, but our heroes barge through them. Tiger founds the room Holly is in and torpedoes the door. In the rooms wall there's a small round window to the room where Holly and Moo are. Inside the room Moo re-interates his offer of sharing rule with Holly. Moo than asks why Holly thinks she was spared when Moo attacked her village. Moo identifies her hiding spot (the root cellar). Holly asks why her father would attack his own village. Moo explains that the blacker his deeds, the greater his power. Outside the room, Tiger tries to torpedo through the wall. Moo causes Holly to flashback to when she young. Her father is carving a doll. He finishes it, and gives it to young Holly, who starts playing with it. The flashback changes to young Holly and her father playing in a field.
Holly says she still refuses to believe Moo is her father, so Moo produces a dagger in a bejeweled holder. He tells Holly to pick it up. Outside the room, Golem uses his tornado attack to break through the wall. Genki and the others rush in and face Moo. Moo says he let them go once, but not again. Genki sees Moo has the Magic Stone. Moo says they don't even know the Magic Stone's true power, that its power goes beyond Mystery Discs. Genki asks how Moo knows so much about the Magic Stone. Tiger says it's because Moo can use the Stone, too. Moo than tells the Stone to tell him where his old body is. Instead of pointing a direction, the Stone makes the floor change to a view of a distant mountain. Moo says soon he'll be his old, familiar self. After this, a large number of Moo's forces charge into the room. Our heroes decide it's time to escape. They spot a large window to the outside. However, Tiger's torpedo and Golem's Tornado have no effect on the window. Moo brags its "built to last". Our heroes prepare to face Moo. Our heroes attack, but are blown back by Moo. Moo then grabs Genki. Tiger and Suezo try to attack, only to be knocked back again. Holly now begs Moo to stop, and says she'll give up to Moo. Moo now explains that all he has to do to win is have people hate him. Moo feeds on hate, it makes him stronger, and the hate will turn the people into Baddies, without Moo having to do a thing.
Then, there is a scream, "Moo!" and a stream of fire hits Moo from behind. Moo is quickly engulfed in flame and drops Genki. We see it's Pixie who's attacking Moo. She flies up to the flame-engulfed Moo, and grabs the magic stone from him. She then flies to the window and shatters it with repeated "lightning" attacks. A wind gusts out the shattered window, extinguishing the flames on Moo. The gust and flames get Falcon's attention above the castle. Our heroes leap out of the window while Moo fires a blast at Pixie. Pixie tries to defend herself with her "wall of fire", but Moo is too strong and blasts her out of the castle. The dragons fly beneath catch our falling heroes. Genki's complementing Falcon on his timing when he notices the falling Pixie. He tells Falcon she saved them, and Falcon goes after her. On Moo's castle, the order is given to open fire. A bunch of blasters starts firing. Falcon easily sweeps around them and catches Pixie. Pixie comes through and tells Genki she's "returned the favor" and shows him the Magic Stone. Genki thanks her.
Falcon and the other dragons fly into the clouds. A Weed on Moo's castle orders a launch of the Iron Birds, but Moo tells him to let the "trash" go. He doesn't need the Magic Stone, anymore. He then orders the castle to change course and go north to where his body lies. It's dawn, and the dragons are flying from the castle. Pixie is unconscious again, but Genki thinks she'll be OK. Falcon sees Big Blue ahead and wants to nail him, but Genki stops him, saying he's a "friend". Falcon lands in front of Big Blue. Big Blue is surprised they saved Pixie, but Genki says they all sort of saved each other. Genki tells Big Blue to tell Pixie thank you for them. Big Blue agrees, and carries off Pixie's still sleeping body. Falcon says the dragons have to get back to their base, since you never know when the baddies will attack. The dragons and our heroes say their good-byes and the dragons fly off.
Featured Characters
- The Searchers
- Master Moo
- Holly's Father
- Captain Weed
- Falcon
- Pirate Dragons
- Pixie (Anime)
- Big Blue (Anime)
Featured Monsters
Trivia
- This episode (as well as the previous episode) confirmed Monol's suspicion that Moo has possessed someone due to his original body has been missing.
- This marked Pixie and Big Blue's reformation into anti-heroes and eventually allies for the Searchers.